Description

Electerm's full process.env exposed to renderer via window.pre.env

Impact

The getConstants() IPC handler in src/app/lib/ipc-sync.js serialises the entire process.env object and sends it to the renderer. The data is stored as window.pre.env and is accessible from any JavaScript running in the renderer (e.g., via the DevTools console or a compromised webview context).

On developer and CI machines, process.env routinely contains secrets such as:

AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY / AWS_SESSION_TOKEN

GITHUB_TOKEN / NPM_TOKEN

OPENAI_API_KEY / DOCKER_AUTH

Internal service credentials, API keys, and database URLs

An attacker who achieves any JavaScript execution within the renderer—for example, through a malicious plugin, a cross-site scripting (XSS) flaw, or the terminal hyperlink execution chain—can trivially exfiltrate these secrets to a remote server, leading to cloud account compromise, supply chain attacks, and lateral movement. The exposure is visible even without any code execution by simply opening the "Info" modal in the application, though that requires local access.

Patches

A patch is yet to be available.

Workarounds

Until a patch is released:

Avoid launching electerm with sensitive environment variables set. Use shell scripts or a dedicated terminal profile that clears secrets before starting the application.

Do not install plugins from untrusted sources, and audit any installed plugins for network access.

Keep the renderer context as locked down as possible: disable the remote debugging port, and do not paste untrusted code into the DevTools console.

Resources

electerm GitHub Repository

electerm Security Policy

Vulnerability details originally reported by external researcher (confirmed on v3.7.9, Win10).

Mitigation

Aliases

References